Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core A Novelization
by Princess of Radiance
Summary: It is a story of honor and dreams, of heroes and goddesses. The beginning of the Compilation. Told from Zack's point of view. T for, of course, swearing and violence.
1. Mission: Start

Oh, my god. I am so freaking proud of this. I think i'm the first Crisis Core Novelization I've seen on this site. Feel free to correct me if i'm wrong, but...

Zack's first person is immesely fun to write.

Expect more soon, once I get off my ass and tranfer the 2/3 of the story I have handwritten onto the computer.

* * *

MISSION: START

Train, going too-too fast, smashing down blockades.

My helicopter, circling above it.

"Mission in 3...2...1...go. Inserting operative."

A voice warns:

"Don't lose focus."

As if.

"Yeah, yeah, I know!"

I flash Teach a victory sign and jump off the 'copter.

"SOLDIER 2nd, Zack Fair, reporting for duty! Let's go!"

Gunfire already- SHIT these guys are fast!

Waaaait. Shinra infantry? What the hell?

Teach's voice crackles on my comm. "Not Shinra, Zack. They're all Wutai. None of ours are here."

Woohoo!

I don't need my sword now, I just barrel my way through them, knocking guys off the train left and right 'til I get to the platform and leap off, backflipping onto the concrete.

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.

"Soooo...I can let loose?"

He groans. " Don't go overboard."

"AW, YEAH!"

NOW I draw my sword.

These Wutai dumbasses don't even stand a chance. They fall like dominoes as I head through Sector 8.

...Okay, that's odd. As I turn a corner, people- civilians- run past, panicking. Deeeefinitely a Not Freakin' Good on the safety meter.

Aw, hell. I'm a SOLDIER. Why am I worried?

I dash around the corner, and-

HOLY FREAKIN' SHIT.

A behemoth is staring me in the face, drooling on my sword. Eugh. Gross.

"Well, guess it's too late to run like hell and hope you didn't see me, huh, big guy?"

It growls.

I leap backwards, and a claw barely misses my chest. I start running to the side, and it follows me.

Hmmmm...oh! I got it!

I manage to get behind it- pretty easy, actually, considering how STUPID these things are.

While it's looking for me, I roll under it, and slam a hand into its belly.

"OWWW! DAMN!" That freakin' HURT!

No time to whine, Zack, things to do! I clench my fist and activate the materia in my sword. The familiar pins-and-needles feeling shoots up my arm and thunder explodes out of my hand.

I figure out it's gonna fall on me about a second before it does, and haul my skinny ass out of the way.

"Whoooo...that was close."

I shake myself off and head further into the sector.

Weirdly enough, there aren't any more Wutaians.

"Hellooooo, Wutai people? Come out, come out, wherever you aaare!"

I turn another corner. Dead end.

"Aw, come ON..."

I start to turn back, and cold steel cuts into my neck. I freeze.

oh SHIT not good.

The sword taps my shoulder, and I slowly turn around.

"Okay, okay, i'm turni-"

Holy mother of-

I'm in trouble, spelled d-e-e-p-s-h-i-t.

Standing in front of me is a man i've only seen in newspapers and on TV screens. The man I joined SOLDIER to see.

Sephiroth.

"Y-you..."

He looks through me.

"Never turn your back on an enemy."

Wh-what?

Without blinking, he lifts his sword off my shoulder and attacks.

holy shit holy shit holy shit

I jump back and ready my own blade. Suddenly, the bigass SOLDIER standard-issue looks reeeeally dinky compared to the FREAKIN' MASAMUNE.

We clash a few times, and it's pretty damn obvious i'm way outta my league.

Then-

CRACK

My sword snaps neatly in two and goes sailing out of my hands and clatters to the pavement. A second later, my ass joins it, sword to my throat.

DAMN it.

I'm suddenly furious.

"You're not the only freakin' hero, you-"

He doesn't blink and raises his sword.

Ohhhh man, this is it...

CLANG

"Huh?"

I open my eyes. Guess I was cringing.

My broken sword is hovering in front of me, blocking the deathblow. I glance to my right.

"Angeal!"

Teach's saved me! He doesn't even bother to draw his own sword, just flicks his wrist and knocks Sephiroth back. He then gives me a LOOK.

Uh-oh...

He looks back at Sephiroth and shakes his head, then pulls out his cell and hits a few keys.

Wha- wait- No! Aw, come on!

A taunting beep later, the training program shuts off. I watch Sephiroth disappear into pixellated data, and then pull off my VR helmet.

"Angeaaaaal! Why'd you shut it oooooooff?"

He sighs at me. "You lost focus."

"I-"

"AGAIN."

I pout at him. "So did not."

He groans and runs a hand over his face.

"Zack..."

He turns suddenly, offering me my broken sword. I take it, and he turns to leave.

Right before he exits, he pauses.

"Never forget, Zack. A true SOLDIER must always hold onto his dreams and honor."

And...he walks out.

Huh?

I really don't get him.


	2. Fort Tamblin

Well, hey.

Check me out, i'm posting! Sorry it's not my KH fics, but I want to get this up first. I actually have a hard copy of this written ALL the way up to the Nibelheim incident, so all I need to do is transfer it into the computer. A lot easier than writing something from scratch, and things in my personal life have been waaay too hectic to think about that properly.

Let me just reiterate. I adore writing Zack. Also, this just makes me wonder what the HELL happened to poor Kunsel. I took some liberties here, but seriously, wtf. Guy just vanished from everything. Hope he wasn't one of the nameless mooks I killed in the original game D:

* * *

FORT TAMBLIN

"Argh!"

I am so bored. I swear, I think my head's about to explode.

"What's up, Zack?"

"Kunsel!" I grin at my friend. Kunsel's a SOLDIER 3rd, a Junonese with fiery red hair. Man, am I glad he showed up!

"Why the long face, Zack?"

"Duh! I'm so bored…where the hell is everyone? I mean, with the base almost empty, there's nothing to do…"

His face falls. Uh-oh.

"Zack, man, you haven't heard? There's been a mass desertion at SOLDIER."

"What!"

No way. No FREAKING way. A desertion? Why- How- When-

"Apparently, some whacko 1st went AWOL and took a bunch of 2nds and 3rds with him." Kunsel continued, obviously ignoring me gaping at him like a fish.

"Ah…whu…?"

Kunsel laughs, the ass.

"Surprised?"

"No shit! That explains the lack of missions around here…"

"Yup."

"So…does anyone know why?"

"Nope. No one has a clue."

I pout. Well, this totally sucks.

"Zack!"

Angeal! Hallelujah! I run over to him, beaming.

"What's up, Angeal?"

"Got work for you. A mission."

"Oh yeah! Sweet!"

Angeal laughs and shakes his head. "Meet me in Director Lazard's office." With that, he walks away.

Kunsel and I share a high-five, and I run off after him.

As I go in, I realize I've never met this Lazard guy before. So, I slow down from full-speed to a trot.

As I open the door, Lazard gets up and offers me his hand. I mean, I guess its Lazard; he's the only other guy in the room. He's blond, and wearing a suit and glasses. Kind of nerdy-looking.

"Zack, good to meet you."

"Same here, Director." I grin and shake his hand.

He smiles back and sits down.

"To business, then." He taps a couple of keys on the keyboard, and an ID shot of a red-haired SOLDIER with angry blue eyes pops up on the screen. I figure that's the MIA 1st, and I say so.

"You are correct, Zack. SOLDIER 1st class, Genesis Rhapsodos. He disappeared a month ago, in Wutai. We need you to finish his mission."

I blink. "In…Wutai?"

Lazard nods seriously.

"This war has gone on far too long."

Out of the blue, Angel hits me with the sucker punch of the century. Well, not an ACTUAL sucker punch…

"I've recommended you for promotion for 1st, Zack."

Man, I am getting pre-tty good at gaping like a fish.

"Angeal, no WAY, man! I love you!"

I throw my arms around him and give him the biggest, squishiest bear-hug I possibly can. Which isn't much, because he's twice as muscular as I am.

"Stop acting childish." He grumbles, and pushes me off.

"Kay!"

He stands up, and shoots an annoyed look at Lazard, who's snickering behind his hand. Jerk.

"We leave as soon as you're packed."

"Yessir!"

As I'm walking out the door, Lazard adds, "I'll be accompanying you on your mission. I'm counting on you, Zack."

I salute him. Hey, it never hurts to be polite to the guy who holds the key to your PROMOTION in his hands, eh?

"By the way, Zack…"

"Hm?"

"What's your dream?"

Again? What is this? Am I like, the only guy without insomnia here?

Oh, might as well.

"To become a hero!"

Lazard laughs softly. "Good, good. Unattainable dreams are the best kind."

….Well, that's kind of a downer.

"Uh, thanks…I think."

* * *

Ugh, no one told me Wutai was this muggy! My pauldrons are sticking to my shoulders, there are mosquitoes feasting like I'm a buffet, and my pants are riding up my-

"Zack, let's get a move on. Team B's already in position."

"Yeah, yeah…I know."

Suddenly two Wutaian guards jump from the bushes ahead of us.

"Who are you?"

I grin and draw my sword. "Well, guys, I'M the one that's gonna kick your asses today!"

As I do that, I hear Angeal groan behind me.

Well, he only has himself to blame for the bad jokes.

"Oh, yeah! Keep 'em coming!"

"Zack, will you calm DOWN?"

I laugh at him. "Can't, Angeal. Lazard's watchin'. Gotta look good, y'know!"

Angeal sighs but says nothing, and we walk for a bit.

"Zack…ever heard of a dumbapple?"

"Huh? No…what is it?"

He shakes his head and sounds disappointed. Uh-oh.

"Oh, boy. How could you not know? At this rate, you'll never make First."

"Wait wait wait, WHAT?"

He walks away, and I follow.

"Angeal! What the hell's a dumbapple!"

He smiles. "Officially known as Banora White. The trees bear fruit randomly throughout the year. So…dumbapples. The local farms always had plenty extra for us kids."

"Oh-ho-ho. You stole them?"

"Our town was poor, Zack."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Even so, I still had honor. The biggest, best Banora Whites always grew on the tree on the mayor's estate. But…I never took from that tree. Because the mayor's son was my friend."

"If he was your friend, he'd have given you some, right?"

"Honor…can be a troublesome thing to carry at times, Zack."

Uh-HUH. "So what's this got to do with SOLDIER?"

"No story's not worth hearing."

"What? That's IT?"

He runs off laughing, and I chase him.

"Angeaaaaal! Not cool, man!"

We finally get into position, Angeal still snickering to himself.

"Heyyy, mission?

He stops, coughs, and explains sheepishly.

"When Team B activates the bomb, we move out."

"Diversion, riiight. Got it!"

"Good. I'll set the other bomb, and-"

"And? And and and and AND?"

"You can…go wild."

"Awright! Just what I'm good at!"

…No bomb.

…Still no bomb.

…STILL no bomb.

"Argh! Team B, hurry up!"

I glance over and see Angeal praying to that bigass sword of his.

"Hey, uh, Angeal? Y'know, I've never seen you use that sword. Isn't it…a waste, to carry it around?"

He chuckles. "Well, use brings about wear, tear, and rust. _That's_ the real waste."

…What. "You're serious."

"Yeah. What can I say? I'm a pretty cheap guy."

"No joke…"

BOOM

Yes! Finally! Thank YOU, Team B!

"Zack, go."

And I go. Oh, do I go. I go and kick _ass _all over the fort, all the way to the center shrine.

I'm halfway up the steps, when-

"One! To defend her people! Two! To prove her mighty strength! Three! To beat up stupid Shinra buttheads! It's time to get punished!"

What the hell…?

I turn around, and there's a skinny little Wutaian kid standing behind me waving her fists and trying to look tough.

"Who in the…"

"The great Yuffie Kisaragi, the rose of Wutai!"

"Uh HUH. Listen, kiddo, go on home. It isn't safe for you here."

"YOU get outta here, jerkface! I'm so gonna kick your butt all the way out of Wutai!"

What- this- she- oh, man, I do _not _want to deal with this.

She dashes up to me and shadowboxes the air in front of my chest a few times.

"Take this! And that! And some of these!"

Aw, hell. She's kinda cute.

"Agh! You got me!" I pretend to fall over. She giggles madly and runs off, cheering.

I get up as soon as she's gone. What the _hell_ do they put in the food here, honestly.

Ah, well. Back to business.

I head into the shrine and look around. Nothing in here.

"Heyyyy, Lazard! You watching? Am I kicking ass, or wh-"

CRASH

Three big, ugly monsters with even bigger axes leap down from the ceiling and surround me.

…..WAIT, WHAT THE SHIT? HOW THE HELL DID THESE GUYS EVEN FIT IN THE CEILING SPACE?

"Oh, crap."

One takes a swipe at me. I jump back, and one of the others catches me mid-leap. Sends me flying across the room to crash headfirst into a pillar.

Stars and chocobos are doing a merry jig across my vision, and I can barely sit up.

Aaaaand….I am so totally screwed. They're all coming at me at once now and I can only weakly wag my sword in their general direction.

One raises its axe, and-

They all fall.

What?

My sword clatters to the ground and I blink away the dancing birds. Angeal's there. He saved me.

"Looks like you owe me again, Zack." He walks over to me as the pounding headache starts up. "Lost focus, did we?"

"I…guess so…" He spins his sword and sticks it on his back.

Holy sh- HIS SWORD!

"Hey. Sorry if your…sword got dirty."

Heh. Apparently, migraines don't prevent sarcasm.

He grins. "You're a little more important than my sword. But _just_ a little."

I groan.

He laughs and offers me a hand. I take it, and he pulls me up.

"Thanks, Angeal."

We head back out of the fort, making our way to camp. Angeal tosses me over a potion on the way out, and my headache is gone.

We run into Lazard just outside.

"There you are. I apologize for my lateness. I'm not used to being out of Midgar."

Yeah, I bet. Rich boy.

Angeal sighs. "You really shouldn't have come."

Lazard shakes his head. "No. if there's a chance to finally end this war, I want to see it myself."

And here we have a classic example of an awkward silence, folks.

Lazard coughs and looks over at me. "Anyway, Zack. I was watching you today, and I must say, I'm impressed. Extremely impressed, in fact. You definitely have potential. I'd say there's a definite chance of promotion."

SCORE! Oh, yeah, baby!

"Don't get his hopes up, Lazard."

Tch, Angeal, you buzzkill.

Lazard laughs. "Very well. At any rate, let us head back to camp. Sephiroth is waiting."

Holy shit.

"Sephiroth? You mean, THE Sephiroth! He's here?"

And they ignore me. Wonderful, thanks guys.

They start walking and I trot after them.

A little while later and I'm getting really bored. But then all of a sudden, three guys in masks jump out of the trees at us.

"The hell?"

I take 'em out pretty easily, and we keep on going. A little ways down, more show up. Angeal steps up to the plate this time, and waves me back.

"I'll handle this, Zack. Get Lazard back to camp."

"But-"

"Go, Zack!"

So I take Rich Boy back to camp, and get permission to go back for Angeal. Hope he's okay.

I get back to the clearing, and he's gone. The guys he fought are out cold, though.

…Wait just a gosh-darned minute, here.

"These guys ain't Wutai…"

There's a weird whistling noise behind me. I spin around, and a small red orb is hanging in front of my face.

Oh shit.

It's a summon.

It lights up, and flashes me into the Summon's domain.

It's a volcanic wasteland, and a gigantic, ripped demon in a loincloth is growling at me.

"Ifrit!"

It starts chucking hunks of fiery rock at me, and I haul ass. This is too crazy!

Finally, I stop. Enough running. It sends a fire-rock at me, and I slam my sword into it, sending it flying back into the summon, knocking it out.

Yes!

I do a little victory jig, and wait for the domain to fade. Then there's a growl behind me.

I spin around just in time t get a face full of fireball.

I'm down, and it summons an Extra Large fireball. I squeeze my eyes shut.

And I'm not a Zack-s'more.

Wha?

I open my eyes.

In front of me- black and silver, long, thin sword.

Sephiroth.

Ifrit goes down in one strike, and we're back in the jungle.

"Holy shit…"

Sephiroth ignores me –thank Shiva, because I'm doing the fish-gaping thing again- and kneels by one of the masked guys.

He pulls a helmet off, growls. "Genesis."

"The MIA First?"

He shakes his head, pulls off the other man's mask. "No…"

What the hell?

"Twins?"

"Copies."

He stands, and turns to look right at me. His eyes are intense with some emotion I can't place.

"Where's Angeal?"

"I-I dunno, man. He…he was supposed to be around here."

He exhales, looks at one of the copy guys.

"So…he's gone, too…"

Wait, he doesn't mean-

No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO. Not Angeal.

"You're not saying…"

Something's off about his voice. "Angeal…has betrayed us as well."

Hearing it spoken, by _him_, no less, pisses me off. As if he knows Angeal as well as I do!

"No! Angeal wouldn't- I KNOW him! He would never!"

Sephiroth waves an arm around the clearing. "So where is he?"

Damn!

Angeal…what were you thinking?


	3. Banora

Yo. Been a while on this, eh? I figured since i'm starting the original game, i'd better get this one out. I got my hard copy notebook back, so I have up to the Nibelheim Incident waiting to be typed. If I work hard, I'll get this finished in a couple weeks. Then, I'll have my time open for the once-a-week FFVII update and a surprise project.

Hahaha, still loving Zack. Also, TSENG YAY. I love him too. So much.

* * *

Banora

Damn…

It's been a whole month.

Where are you, Angeal?

I'm up on the SOLDIER floor, doing pretty much nothing- okay, I'm moping around the place, so sue me.

My phone rings. It's a number I don't recognize.

"Uh…hello?"

"Zack Fair, SOLDIER 2nd class?"

Okay, what?

"Who is this?"

"Director Lazard wants to see you. Report to the Briefing Room immediately."

CLICK

Excuse me? Who the heck does that guy think he is, randomly calling me like that?

Oh, well, whatever, off to Lazard's.

Wait.

Lazard.

Maybe he's heard from Angeal!

I burst into Lazard's office, grinning.

"Any news on Angeal?"

He sighs and shakes his head.

Damn.

"He hasn't contacted his parents."

Aw, man…where _is _he?

"But, Zack, I have a mission for you. We need you to investigate Genesis's hometown. We'd already sent two Turks, but we've lost contact with them. His parents, of course, say he hasn't been there, but…"

"But?"

"They…ARE his parents."

"Ah…yeah."

Lazard waved at something behind me. "He'll be accompanying you."

I turn around. Skinny, serious looking Wutaian guy in a suit, looked like he was about 20.

"Tseng, of the Turks." He offers a hand.

"Uh, hi." I shake it. "Well…this is gonna be a bit awkward."

"You should get ready; we leave as soon as you're done preparing. Hurry and finish."

"Yeah, okay, whatever."

I really never liked the Turks. They're kinda creepy. So I take my sweet damn time, just to annoy him.

He…doesn't seem annoyed when I get back, just nods and sends me off to the helipad. As I'm heading out, though, I hear him behind me. He sounds thoughtful.

"You know…Sephiroth was originally assigned this mission. As you know, that means this is top-priority."

Wait, what?

"What? Why isn't Sephiroth going, then?"

Tseng shakes his head. "He's refusing to go."

Seriously?

"Wow, that's…not cool. Man, what a spoiled brat."

Tseng arches an eyebrow and smirks. "Want me to tell him you said that?"

OHMYGOD

I panic, waving my hands around.

"No, no, no! That- that's okay, no thanks!"

He laughs. Wow, a Turk with a sense of humor. Interesting.

* * *

One helicopter ride later, we were in the town. It's a cute little place, reminds me of home. Well, except for the freaky-looking trees. They had white trunks and were bent over the pathways like a big arch.

"Funny-lookin' trees…"

Tseng nodded as we walked down the path. "Banora Whites. Affectionately known as 'dumbapples'."

"What? We're in Banora! Turk-dude, that- that's Angeal's hometown!"

"…Yes, Fair. Yes it is. A very astute observation, that."

Stuff it. Why the hell does no one _tell me these things!_

He continues. "Angeal and Genesis have known each other for years."

Really? Huh…

We kept walking. A bit further down the trail, some of those Genesis copies popped out of nowhere. I took care of them, easy as p-

Wait- Genesis copies?

"These were in Wutai, too!"

"So…they're here after all."

I glance over at Tseng. He looked preoccupied.

"We haven't seen any townsfolk. They may have…taken the town."

Shiiiiit.

He wasn't done yet.

"Genesis left with a rather large weapons arsenal with him. Our orders are to search…and destroy."

Oh, boy. What a day.

"I got it, Turk-dude."

He gave me a look as I walked past him. Hey, until I decide I like you, you're Turk-dude.

Onward we went, me taking out more copies along the way.

Y'know, I though Turks could fight, but Tseng's just been following me around. Lame.

Finally, we get to a giant old brick house. Nice place, except for the GIANT FREAKING SPIDER-BOT OUTSIDE OF IT.

"Holy crap."

"I'll leave this to you, Fair."

Gee. Thanks. Is this revenge for 'Turk-dude'?

I draw my sword and charge it, and it gets up, targeting systems coming online. It beeps a few times, and then fires a missile right at my face.

Time to show off for the stick-in-the-mud.

I get ready, and slice the missle in half just before it hits me.

How'd ya like _that_?

It charges me now.

"Let's go, big guy!"

The thing's pretty slow, and I'm running circles around it in no time. It hasn't even come close to hitting me once.

Finally, I race around the back and jump on top of it, stabbing it in the head. It whirrs once, and goes down in a heap of scrap.

"Oh, YEAH!"

I jump off it and trot towards Tseng, who actually looks a little impressed. A Genesis copy is lying by his feet. Huh, I guess he _can _fight.

"Genesis copies."

He arches an eyebrow. "Where did you hear that?"

"Uh…Sephiroth." I hate admitting he's smarter than me, that arrogant jerk.

"Shinra scientists…that tech was stolen from them."

"Wha?"

"Supposedly, it allows Genesis's abilities and traits to be transferred to SOLDIER members…" He pauses, and looks at me oddly.

"…and monsters."

…What?

"SOLDIER…and monsters? We're the same?"

No way. Just…no way.

That's too creepy to think about, so I just push it out of my head.

We head over to the gates to the village, and go on in. as we pass the side of the big house, Tseng speaks up again.

"This is Genesis's home. His parents are the mayor and his wife."

The mayor? Wait…Angeal…_Genesis _was Angeal's childhood friend?

Tseng seems to read my mind, because he answers me. "They didn't just know each other, Fair. They grew up together…and were best friends."

That pisses me off.

"So you're saying Genesis deserts, and takes his best damn friend Angeal with him?"

Tseng looks away, kind of uncomfortable. "Sephiroth…seems to think so."

Sephiroth! It's always about goddamn Sephiroth! What the hell does he know about Angeal!

Tseng points behind me. "Look."

I look. A grave.

"It's still new." He turns towards me. "Fair, go locate Angeal's house. I'll see to the grave."

Eugh, that's nasty…

"Ew, do Turks really have to do stuff like that?"

I kinda pity them, now. Must suck.

He laughs. "Well, we're paid better than SOLDIER. It's not so bad."

"What? Aw, come on!"

That's it, pity's gone.

He waves a hand at the main town. "Go find Angeal's house. I'll meet up with you."

"Sure, got it."

I run off. This is gonna be a piece of cake! Angeal's house is…

Oh, hell.

I have no idea! They all look the same! Can't he have a sign on his door- 'Hewley residence, look here for MIA teachers'?"

I spend a few minutes opening doors to creepily empty houses- apparently no one here's heard of locks- until I actually find someone.

It's an older woman, late fifties, black hair…kind of looks like Angeal.

Jackpot!

She looks over at me. "Who might you be, young man?"

"Um, hi. Are you…Angeal's mom? I'm Zack."

She smiles widely. "Ah…Zack the Puppy."

HUH?

"Um, what?"

"My son's written to me about you, quite a lot. 'No attention span whatsoever, hyperactive as a puppy'."

I groan.

"Gee, thanks, Angeal."

She frowns, becoming serious. "Are you…here with Genesis?"

"No, ma'am."

She looks sad. "What's going on with my son…?"

"I wish I knew…"

Silence.

"Genesis came here a month ago, with some others. He killed many townspeople…"

She smiles, still sad.

"He used to be such a nice young man…Genesis…"

I don't say anything. What _can _I say?

"My son came here. He didn't say a word…just left his sword."

I look at the wall. There it is- the Buster Sword, leaning innocently against the brick.

Holy crap- that means he's here!

"That sword is a symbol of our family's honor."

That…that explains a lot.

"He…he never uses that sword. Not ever." I go over to her, kneeling. "I'll take care of Genesis. You…you should go somewhere and hide, Mrs. Hewley."

She shakes her head, closing her eyes. "No…it's alright. Genesis…has no power over me."

I nod. "Be careful, ma'am."

Leaving her house, I look around.

Angeal, where did you go?

I hear a crash and run towards it, to my right.

Genesis copies!

I take them out, and my phone rings.

Tseng. "Fair. I found an abandoned factory on the outskirts of town."

Oh, yeah, that's not immediately suspicious.

"Think it's Copy HQ?"

"Most likely. I'm on a cliff overlooking it. Meet me there. We'll go in from above."

"Sounds fun. I'm there."

He hangs up. I glance around and see two paths by the cliff, one straight, one going up.

I take the up path.

I find Tseng crouching on the cliff face, being all sneaky-like.

Damn showoff Turks.

I kneel down next to him.

"Hey." I whisper.

He doesn't look at me. He sounds odd when he speaks.

"Genesis's parents…were in that grave."

Wh- what?

"You mean he- he- his own _parents?_"

Tseng shook his head, still sounding kinda odd.

"He can't be reasoned with. Angeal?"

"Wasn't there…"

I had been planning on asking this for a while, and now it just came out.

"Please, man, just give me a little time! If I can just find him- find Angeal- I can talk him into coming back! I know I can! If I can do that…Genesis might come back, too!"

Tseng looked at me in surprise, and then smiled. A genuine one. It made him look a lot less creepy-serious.

"I get it now. Why Sephiroth chose you for this…Zack."

…what.

Sephiroth _chose _me? Sephiroth chose _me_?

"What the hell? Why does he care?"

"Angeal and Genesis…were Sephiroth's only true friends. He didn't want to fight them…so he refused the mission."

…No way.

No WAY. Sephiroth, he…?

That's why he sounded hurt. I get it now. But…I still don't understand!

"Angeal's my friend, too!"

"He knows. That's why…he's counting on you to bring them back."

Wow. He's really gonna trust someone he doesn't know that much?

It's…kinda heavy.

"We don't have time to waste. Let's go."

We stood up, nodded at each other, and proceeded to jump through the glass roof.

Okay, never doing that again, EVER.

As soon as we pick ourselves up, some Genesis copies charge us.

"Go on ahead, Zack! I'll handle things." He pulls out a revolver.

Funny, I figured him for a martial-arts guy.

I ran ahead to the main area.

Empty. Shame.

A buzzing sound from the ceiling, and a Shinra copter-bot swirled down from the roof. Jeez, again with the hard-to-hide things from the ceiling!

I grin and short-circuit it with a nice Thunder spell.

Looking around, I see Tseng in a doorway. "This way, Zack."

He went in, and I followed.

Wait, when did he start using my first name?

Oh, well.

The room looked like an office, with file cabinets and a computer.

Tseng was already screwing around with the computer.

"Copies _are _being made here, Zack. Check the second floor. Genesis may be here."

"Got it."

I headed up the stairs.

As I reached the top, I heard someone speaking.

'_Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess._

_We seek it thus, and take to the sky._

_Ripples form on the water's surface._

_The wandering soul knows no rest.'_

What the hell?

He was sitting on the floor, reading. The guy from the photo- same red hair, same cold eyes, in a red duster.

Genesis. I growled at him.

He looked up, and I swear his eyes lit up in amusement.

"Ah…Zack the Puppy. A pleasure. Please, calm yourself."

God DAMMIT, Angeal.

I heard Tseng running up the stairs behind me. He stopped by a weird pod-looking thing, and glanced in. then he turned to Genesis, his voice tight with anger.

"Our Turks were in that grave, too, Genesis."

What?

Genesis chuckled and flicked his hair out of his eyes. Ugh, I don't like him already.

"Oh, it was easy to make them send false reports. A few threats, a little…arm-twisting, if you will. That's all."

Tseng's eyes narrowed, and he started forward with a furious snarl.

Wow…I had this guy pegged all wrong.

I turned back towards Genesis. "Your parents would've done that _without_ threats!"

He tensed, and stood.

"My…'parents' betrayed me. They always had…from the very beginning."

His eyes narrowed, getting even colder. "But what do you know…"

Before I could react, he formed a Fire spell and hurled it at Tseng, sending him crashing into a wall.

"Shinra dog!"

As Tseng slumped to the floor, I drew my sword and took a step forwards. Before I could swing it at him, someone stepped in front of me and pulled it out of my hands.

Angeal!

"Welcome, partner." Genesis smirked.

Angeal just raised my sword to point at his face.

"I see…" Genesis frowned. "You've decided. I'll respect that, my friend. But…"

He walked towards the stairs, past Angeal. "Can you truly live…on that side?"

As he disappeared down the stairs, Angeal lowered my sword and turned away.

No!

"Angeal!" I started towards him.

Almost angrily, he spun and punched me right in the gut.

As I staggered back, he slammed my sword into the floor.

We stared at each other for a second. For the first time…I couldn't tell what Angeal was thinking.

He exhaled sharply, and walked away.

I grabbed my sword and wriggled it free, running after him.

By the time I got back downstairs and into the main area, he was gone.

"Dammit!"

I looked around.

"He must've left…"

I ran to the mechanical doors and slammed my hand into the control panel.

Two Guard Hounds leapt at me from outside.

"Shit!"

BANG BANG

They both fell back, a bullet would in each of their foreheads.

I spun, and Tseng was standing there, holding a smoking revolver in one hand and his side with the other.

"Tseng!" What the hell, he earned it.

A smile flickered across his face, but then he was serious again.

"We have to leave- now."

What?

"We aren't gonna look for-"

"We can't leave evidence of misconduct. Those are the rules. An airstrike has been called in."

Fish-gape time again.

"What? You're gonna-!"

He looked at me, and I could tell he didn't like this, either. "Is Angeal's house unoccupied?"

My face gave me away.

"Go, then, Zack!"

I went. Fast. I had to get Mrs. Hewley out of there! I owe Angeal that much.

When I got there, her door was open.

Oh, no. No.

I ran in.

"Oh…oh, my god!"

Mrs. Hewley was lying on the floor. Dead.

It took me a second to realize someone else was in the room.

Angeal.

No- no. No. It- he- _no._

He was holding his sword.

No. He did.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO, ANGEAL!"

I ran at him, grabbing his collar, slamming him against the wall. He didn't resist.

With a scream, I punched him as hard as I could, sending him stumbling out the door onto the ground.

"Is- Is this your idea of _honor_!"

On the ground, Angeal looked at me expressionlessly, pulling himself up.

"My mother could not continue to live…and neither can the son."

"What the hell are you saying? What's going on?"

Another voice. "I told you…"

_Genesis._

"You can't live on that side anymore, Angeal."

Angeal stood up…and walked away.

I tried to run after him, but Genesis tripped me on my way out the door and I faceplanted in the dirt.

I'm _going _to _kill _him.

"Angeal!"

Behind me, that bastard's starting to spout his weird poetry again.

'_My friend, do you fly away now?_

_To a world that abhors you and I?'_

"SHUT UP!"

'_All that awaits you is a somber morrow.'_

I'm screaming at him to shut his face, but he ignores me.

'_No matter where the winds may blow…'_

He holds a hand up, and smirks at me.

"I don't see Sephiroth, but…are you game?"

His hand glows, and a red Materia appears in it.

Oh, shit. Another one.

World goes white, then-

I'm on a windy mountaintop, dark all around me, and storm clouds thundering above.

A massive dragon swoops from the sky and roars at me.

Bahamut.

I am so screwed…

It's a long fight, and I don't know if I can do this…

But I finally get my act together, and shove my sword through a gap in its scales.

I win, bitch.

The world goes back to Banora…and Genesis.

He's standing there still smirking at me like he owns the world.

My GOD, I wanna punch his smarmy face in.

"Summons…you're not supposed to use them like that!"

I'm furious, angrier than I think I've ever been.

"What happened to dreams? To honor?"

He turns away from me.

"We…are monsters."

What?

He throws his left arm out to the side, as if to point at something, and…

A wing.

A huge, black, feathery wing bursts out of his left shoulder, spread wide, wider than his arm.

"Wh- what the…?"

He looks at me over his shoulder, no longer smirking.

"We have neither dreams…nor honor."

With that, he leaps into the sky, sending feathers down like rain.

I catch one. It's…beautiful.

"SOLDIER…doesn't mean monster."

I hear a faint whistle, and look up in time to see the airstrike begin.

"Shit!"

I take off running back to the cliff the copter left us on. I get there just in time to see the Gelnika jet fly away into the distance.

The copter flies by, doesn't land. Tseng shoves the door open, leans out and offers his hand.

I ignore him, turn back to Banora.

The apple trees are burning.

It's a sea of flame. It's horrible, but…I can't look away.

…I hear Tseng calling me.

I turn away from the flames and grab Tseng's hand, letting him pull me into the copter. I sink down into the seat and stare out the window as the burning trees get smaller and smaller.

I see faintly an apple turn black, and fall off the branch it dangled from.

Stupid.

All I can think of is…that I wish I'd gotten to try one. It would've been nice…

"Angeal…"


	4. Attacked

And, chapter four!

I'll admit, I took an assload of liberties with Sephiroth here. That was the only thing that kinda annoyed me in the game. They say Zack and Seph were buddies, but they never ACT like it. So...liberties. I like what I did.

Also, does anyone agree with me that Hollander was never all that evil/intimidating, at least compared to Hojo?

* * *

Attacked

Well, the war's over. We won. Yay. There's been celebrating for days. But I...

Where are you…?

My phone rings. I almost dread it now.

"Hello?"

"Zack. It's been a while."

Wh- am I hallucinating? Is that-

"Sephiroth?"

"Come to Lazard's office."

"O-okay…"

What the hell?

I haul my ass up there as fast as I can. I mean, Sephiroth called me! Freaking Sephiroth! It HAS to be important.

I get up there. Lazard's sitting at his desk, and Sephiroth is leaning against a wall. Whoah…he really is here.

I walk up to Lazard's desk. Sephiroth's holding some papers, pretending to be interested. He glances up at me when I pass him. He looks…preoccupied.

Sorry, man. I tried.

Lazard smiles at me when I stop in front of him. "Zack, congratulations. As of now, you are officially a SOLDIER, 1st class."

What? I'm…what? Oh…oh, man…I…

"I…weird. I thought I'd be happier."

It really is weird. I'm not all that excited now. You'd think I'd be bouncing off the walls, but…maybe it's because Angeal's not here.

Lazard nods.

"Understandable. A lot has happened recently."

No, shit.

He sighs and continues. "I'm afraid I have to ask for your assistance again."

I glare at Mr. Spoiled Brat. "Pushing yet another mission on me?"

He sighs and looks up, but not at me. "I apologize."

I don't buy it.

"Whatever."

"Zack." Lazard speaks up again. "Go and change into your First uniform. Then I'll brief you."

"Got it."

Changing doesn't take long. Not much difference in the uniforms, except for the color. Boy, am I glad to be out of the purple.

I head back upstairs, kind of uncomfortable.

Back to Lazard's.

Sephiroth's still there. Now I'm a little worried.

"The company has decided to…dispose of Genesis and his group. This includes Angeal."

Oh, hell no.

"You…you want me to-"

"No, the army will handle that."

"What about me?"

"They don't trust you." Sephiroth stands and walks behind me. "They believe…your emotions will cloud your judgment."

"No shit, really?" I snap.

"That's why…I'm going with you."

I'm dead silent.

You've _got_ to be kidding me.

I stand from leaning on the desk and turn around slowly.

"To kill them?"

He doesn't say a word, doesn't even look at me.

That son of a bitch.

Suddenly, the building alarms go off, klaxons blaring.

"An intruder?" Lazard's freaked.

"Where?" So am I, actually.

"Close." Apparently, Mr. High-and-Mighty isn't. He's ice cold, as always.

Lazard motions at us. "Sephiroth, the president. Zack, secure the entrance."

We nod and head off- me at a run, that stupid jerk walking calmly.

At the entrance, the front doors have been blown apart, and Sweeper bots and copies are swarming the place.

It takes a while, but I take them all out.

As I'm breathing heavily, that jerk comes up behind me and coughs to get my attention, making me jump.

"Se- Sephiroth! Uh…the intruders are all copies- Genesis copies."

Way to go, Zack, make yourself look like an idiot in front of this bastard.

He looks around, wrinkling his nose in distaste. Most human expression I've ever seen on him.

"_Hollander._"

"Who?"

"A Shinra scientist." He spits out the word 'scientist' like it's physically painful. Huh.

"He vanished after stealing the copy technology."

"Are you saying he and Genesis teamed up?"

He turns away from me. "Maybe."

"What are they after…?"

I'm just talking to myself, but the damn showoff answers anyway.

"Hollander was passed over for Head of the Science Department. He's held a grudge ever since. He's probably out for revenge."

Seriously?

"That's pretty lame…would Genesis really help him with something that petty?"

Sephiroth sighs. When he speaks again, the pain in his voice he's been trying to hide comes out loud and clear.

"I don't want to believe it at all, but…"

He…he really _is_ upset about this after all…then why…? I try to reassure him.

"Then don't." I wouldn't.

He looks over at me, genuinely surprised. Then he manages a small smile. "In that case, I won't."

Am I actually starting to like him…?

He looks away quickly, and he's back to business.

"Copies have been sighted in Sector 8. Let's go, Zack."

"You got it."

The Sector's teeming with Sweepers and copies and Red Saucer drones, civilians running everywhere.

"Holy crap!"

Sephiroth smirks at me. Prick.

"We should split up."

"Right."

We head off in opposite directions. I'm running past the fountain when I see a pretty redhead cornered by two copies.

Ooh, boy, a damsel in distress!

"I'm a-coming, ma'am!"

I take two steps forwards, and there's an EMR blocking my path.

"Huh?"

I look over and see a scrawny redhead teen in a rumpled suit grinning at me.

Wait…suit?

Aw, hell.

"Sector 8 is the _Turks'_ turf," he drawls, and waggles his baton at my nose. Another one, this guy tall, bald and intimidating, comes up behind me.

Suddenly, someone else's there. Hey, Tseng!

I look over at him, pleading. "Do something, man!"

"Don't concern yourself." Baldy says slowly.

"Huh?"

I turn around, and the cutie's already taken the copies out. Oh.

"How are the other areas?" I start to answer, but Tseng's not asking me.

"Midgar's just crawlin' with the guys," Red drawls, tapping his shoulder with his baton.

Baldy puts in: "Even SOLDIER's having trouble."

Tseng nods all business-like. "Reno," Red grins wider, "Rude," Baldy nods.

"Say the word."

"Go."

Reno cheers and pumps a fist, and the two guys dash off. You know, maybe Turks aren't so bad.

"So, Tseng…SOLDIER's outsourcing to the Turks now, or what?"

"Well, they say SOLDIER's been short."

"Yeah, well that does- huh?" Okay, _that_ wasn't Tseng.

I turn around. The cute girl?

She giggles and waves.

"You- you're a Turk?"

"Cissnei." She smiles.

"Zack. Nice to meet ya."

Tseng chooses then to rudely interrupt my flirting.

"Aren't you on an assignment, Zack?"

Oh. Right. Oops.

"Uhhh….same one, right? Need help here?" Oh, man, was that pathetic.

Tseng shakes his head. "Thank you, but-"

Cissnei cuts him off. "That's so nice of you!" she laughs. "Well, gotta go. See you around, Tseng, Zack." She runs off.

I like her.

You know what, screw it. I follow her onto LOVELESS Avenue- I mean, how much trouble could there be here?

A lot, actually. When I get to the main road, Cissnei's fighting someone. Hey, she's limping!

She catches her weapon- a giant shuriken- and leaps back from a spray of bullets. It knocks the shuriken away, and she stumbles.

I run over, and see-

Genesis?

No, a copy; a more accurate one. It's just as weak as its buddies, though, so I take it down in a couple of hits. It makes its wing appear and tries to fly away, but falls.

Cissnei walks over to it, crouching down to look more closely.

"A wing…how pretty." She smiles. "When I was little, I always wanted to have wings. Like an angel."

I remember burning apples, and I can't look at her.

"If people had wings…they'd be monsters."

If that weren't true, then why would he…

Cissnei shakes her head. "Wings symbolize freedom for those who have none. Not monsters."

I wish I could believe that…but, wait, didn't I just tell…

No. I _will _believe that.

I smile at her, and she smiles back.

"Thanks for the help, Zack. I have to get going…don't you?"

"Oh, yeah…"

She waves quickly and runs off.

My phone rings. As soon as I answer, Sephiroth starts speaking.

"Come to the Sector 5 reactor as soon as possible."

"You…found something?"

"Angeal is here." He actually sounds hopeful. But…

"So, what? We find him and kill him?"

"The army is already en route, but we have time. We have to find them before they do, and-"

"And WHAT?"

I don't know why I'm so pissed. Maybe because after all this, Sephiroth is still going to follow those stupid orders and kill a friend.

He sounds…amused?

"…And _fail _to kill them."

No way! He's not- Is he-?

"Really?"

He's quiet for a second, then laughs quietly.

Holy shit, did I just make Sephiroth laugh?

"Yes, Zack. Really."

"AWESOME! ...I hope!"

* * *

You know, until now, I don't think I've ever been in a reactor.

I'd remember the smell.

Mako smells like a cross between ozone, sewage, and, weirdly enough, fresh cut grass.

It's overpowering. Ugh.

I head down the catwalks, sauntering along casually 'cause the place is empty, when I hear a clang behind me.

I spin around and see a weird-looking sahagin jump onto the catwalk behind me.

It's pretty easy to handle, and I kill it easy. But when it's lying there, I notice…

"Wh- what the- is that- is that Angeal's face?"

Footsteps behind me, and Sephiroth is there. When he speaks, he sounds…I don't know. Upset?

"Apparently Genesis isn't the only one…who can be copied." He walks past me, and stops. He's quiet for a long time, then turns to look out across the catwalks.

"The SOLDIER training room…"

Is he talking to himself?

"Hm?"

Now he looks at me. But he's not really _looking. _I can tell his head's somewhere else, lost in a memory.

He smiles. "When the 2nds were all away, we would always sneak in there for fun…Genesis, Angeal, and I."

Boy…he really misses them. You can hear it in his voice. He's really kind of a different person when he's away from the Shinra building.

"You guys were real close." I can't help but be a little jealous. Angeal had never mentioned he knew Sephiroth.

He sighs sadly. "I wonder…"

I wait.

He leans against the railing, crossing his arms. "One day, the three of us were there, sparring as usual, when Genesis…got out of hand. I don't know what started it. He started fighting for real, I…I took his bait. I think we ended up actively trying to kill each other. Before we could do serious damage to ourselves or the training room, Angeal stepped between us. In doing so, however…Genesis was injured. A cut, on his left shoulder."

"Was everything okay?" I asked, really interested. So _that's _why the training room was closed for two weeks like last year or something…

Sephiroth shrugged. "As far as Genesis was concerned, yes. But Angeal…" He shook his head, covering his mouth with a hand.

"What happened?"

Sephiroth sounded like he was trying not to laugh at the memory. "Later that day, I received one of his famous lectures."

Oh, no _way._

"About…what?" It couldn't be. Seriously, Angeal didn't. Did he?

"Always the same thing. Dreams, honor, pride…et cetera. That one."

He did. He really did. Angeal gave Sephiroth the same lecture he always gave me. I thought that was a Zack-only.

"One of _those? _I got those all the time, too! I thought it was just me. Man, those just go on _forever, _don't they!"

I mimicked Angeal's voice. "'Blah blah blah, never forget your SOLDIER pride, blah blah dreams, blah blah honor, blah blah I have a freaking huge sword I never use because of HONOR, blah blah long-winded blah.'"

Sephiroth stared at me for a minute, struggling not to smile. "That…sounded just like him."

I grinned. "Sad, isn't it? He's practically beaten it into our heads."

That did it. We looked at each other for a second, and then both of us doubled over laughing.

After a few minutes, we both managed to calm down, and I grinned at him. He smiled back, looking pretty genuinely happy, for once.

I guess we're friends now.

After another second he apparently remembers he's supposed to be Mr. Serious-Badass-SOLDIER-Guy, and retreats back into his stoic mask. Damn, so close!

He went back over to the Angeal-sahagin, and glared at it like the entire mess was its fault.

"So…they really are in league with Hollander."

No…I was wrong. He didn't sound upset. He sounded…betrayed.

Believe me, I know the feeling.

"How did this happen?" I slam my hand into the railing.

The two of us share a look, and suddenly, I feel like I understand him a lot better. We nod at each other, and head off to find Angeal.

As we're walking, Sephiroth's suddenly a lot more talkative. He tells me we're looking for Hollander's lab. Apparently, we might be able to find clues to where Angeal is there.

Sounds good to me.

We spend about an hour or two of walking around aimlessly in an awkward silence punctuated by short bursts of even more awkward attempts at conversation which die almost immediately. Y'know, for two guys who're supposed to be friends now, we're…really bad at it.

After all that time, we find it. Sephiroth heaves the heavy steel door open, and we head down the stairs.

Sephiroth goes over to the desk, while I poke around by one of those pod-things.

After a few minutes, I'm bored stiff. "Sephiroth, you find anything?"

He looks over at me, and his mask drops again. He looks genuinely amused. "More than you, most likely."

While I'm really glad he's decided to be himself around me again, I resent that remark.

He continues, sitting on the desk and flipping through some papers in his hand.

"Apparently, Hollander was involved in some experiment called 'Project G', which was supposed to create a child with the abilities of an Ancient."

"A…what?"

He shrugs at me. "I have no idea. To continue, the result of the experiment was…a normal child. That means…?" He looks at me, eyebrow raised. Oh, so that's how he wants to play, huh?

"A failure."

He chuckles. "Oh, so you _are _paying attention. Good. However…"

He sighs.

"There is a paper here…on 'SOLDIER Degradation'. It supposedly occurs in people with 'type G' cells."

"Like Project G? But you said…"

"I did. But…" his mind's far away again. "There was an incident. Soon after Genesis was injured. It was only a minor injury, but…it wasn't healing. The one who treated him was…Hollander. He told us that he wasn't due to Mako energy that had seeped in through the wound. Then, he told us Genesis needed a blood transfusion. I volunteered, but…Angeal stopped me. Hollander said I wasn't 'viable'."

He slammed a fist on the table, hard.

"Why wasn't I allowed to be the donor…?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration, and glanced over at the pod-thingy.

"SOLDIER…type G."

He put all the papers down and got up, looking over at me.

"Project G gave birth to Genesis. Project G…"

"Project Genesis." See, Sephiroth, I'm not an idiot.

He nods. "Right. Unlike this report says, though, Genesis did show signs of change."

"He…was degrading?"

"Not just that."

"…The copies?"

He smiles slightly. "Exactly."

He walks over to where I am, next to the pod-thingy. All of a sudden, he looks furious. It's actually less intimidating then when he's dead serious. I guess because it makes him look more human.

"_Abominations…_" He pretty much hisses the word at the thing in the tank. I have to admit, it's weird to see him so worked up.

"Se-Sephiroth?"

We spin around. It's an older guy, unshaven and kinda pudgy, in a t-shirt, jeans, sandals, and a lab coat haphazardly thrown over it all.

"Hollander."

Wait, this guy's Hollander? I was expecting someone more…evil-looking. This guy looks like that loud, friendly, beer-swilling uncle everyone's got.

Sephiroth's glaring at the guy like he can make him burst into flames with a look. "I thought you would be here."

Hollander laughs. "Well, only I can stop the degradation process."

Sephiroth starts towards Mr. Pudgy-Uncle, still looking furious, but Genesis swoops down and lands in between them.

Wait, what the freakin'- HOW ARE THINGS ALWAYS IN THE CEILING THAT CAN'T POSSIBLY BE THERE?

"Genesis."

That smarmy bastard points his sword at Sephiroth's throat.

"You won't be taking Hollander."

The guy in question takes the opportunity to run like hell.

"Zack, go. I'll handle Genesis."

"On it!"

As I run out of the room, I hear that bastard spout more poetry.

Ugh. Sephiroth, kick his ass.

I'm running through hallways and up stairs and holy SHIT this guy is fast!

I mean, I'm a freaking young, handsome, and fit SOLDIER First, and this guy's a pudgy, middle-aged science geek, and he's running faster than me!

Am I the only one that sees something seriously _wrong _with this?

I chase him out onto a balcony on the reactor's edge. I can see the sky behind the Shinra building. Looks like rain.

He stops at the balcony's edge, and I approach him.

"Hollander, do you know what you're doing?"

He backs away past a pillar, and before I can follow, a sword blocks my path from behind it.

The Buster sword.

Oh, _now _I'm mad.

"Working for Hollander now, Angeal? What are you after?"

"World domination."

Wha- wait, is he- oh, god.

"Not even remotely funny, man."

"Then…revenge."

"Why?"

He walks away. I follow.

"Angeal!"

A wing.

A white wing bursts out of his right shoulder.

A wing. Angeal's got a wing. Oh, my god.

"I've become…a monster."

He tries to smile, but it's obvious he's faking it.

"A monster's objective _is _usually world domination or revenge."

The joke drops like a rock.

"No, Angeal. You're wrong. Those aren't the wings of a monster."

"Then…what are they?"

Thank you, Cissnei.

"Angel's wings." I catch a feather and smile.

He doesn't react. "I see."

But…then suddenly he's angry.

"Then what should an angel fight for, Zack? What do angels dream of?"

He slams the Buster sword down and heads towards me. Is he…?

"Angeal…"

He's still angry. But not at me. I think…he's angry at himself.

"Angels dream of one thing, Zack."

"Tell me…please."

He almost whispers it. "To be…human."

Then he punches me in the stomach, hard. I go flying backwards, bounce a few times, and roll onto a grating.

I stagger to my feet and start to get ready to fight, but then I stop.

I'm not gonna fight him.

I drop my fists and give him the biggest grin I can muster up at the moment.

I can't. Not Angeal. At least…not like this.

"Defend yourself!"

I shake my head at him, still grinning.

He doesn't hesitate. Charging a Fire in his fist, he slams it against the floor.

I brace myself for the shockwave and stagger back with the impact. I'm mostly okay.

The grating I'm on…not so much.

It shatters under me, and I fall.

The last thing I hear is footsteps above me, and Sephiroth calling my name.

Well, shit, I think to myself.

Then I black out.


End file.
